For the past two years, FNZ has celebrated the people shaping Aotearoa’s fashion industry through features like the Creators Power List (2023 & 2024), the PR Power List, and the Stylist Power List. This year, we’re turning our attention to New Zealand Fashion Week itself, spotlighting the many hands and minds that make the event what it is.
This isn’t about favourites, rankings, or pitting people against each other. It’s about giving flowers where they’re due – acknowledging the designers, producers, models, creators, and countless behind-the-scenes talents who deserve to be recognised for their work. From runway icons to backstage heroes and the unexpected highlights that only Fashion Week can deliver, here’s FNZ’s NZFW Power List.
The Stage (Creative & Presentation)
The Visionary – Fashion Week Director / Event Producer
The Architect – Show Producer
Rebecca Lawson
Becs (as she’s affectionately known) is another fashion industry powerhouse who brought over two decades of talent and experience to NZFW 2025. In a dual-role as Designer Liaison and Production Manager, Becs worked with Dan Ahwa to onboard every designer that participated in NZFW 2025 and build the schedule, and then shifted her focus during the week to overseeing the many moving parts of show production on-site. Becs is a true unsung hero, never poking her head above the clouds, but always going above and beyond for her team and the designers she nurtured.
The Creator
Claudia Li’s show felt like a triumphant homecoming after seasons of presenting at international fashion weeks. Her collection set a new benchmark at NZFW, celebrated for its inclusivity, impeccable styling, and global polish. A highlight moment – the red sequin hijab – captured the balance of cultural resonance and high-fashion spectacle, proving the presentation was operating on a different level entirely.
The Tastemaker
Stylist / Fashion Director – Karen Inderbitzen-Waller
Karen Inderbitzen-Waller’s work for the Karen Walker show was nothing short of masterful. Amid the chaos and layered drama of the runway, her styling stood out for its clarity and control, thought through to the smallest details (yes, even down to the socks).
The Selectors
Probably considered two of the most experienced fashion stylists in the country, Dan and Courtney were the brains behind the styling of New Zealand Fashion Week’s opening show: Into The Archives, ably assisted by Levi Tan and Natasha Ovely. Dan’s experience as the creative director of Viva and Canvas for 10 years, topped with his own experience as a fashion stylist for Fashion Quarterly made him the hands-down choice for selecting the faces of some of the week’s most memorable shows. Add to this Courtney’s tenure as creative director of Fashion Quarterly, and you get a unique and formidable styling powerhouse.
The Faces
Model – Venus Blacklaws
Venus Blacklaws commanded the runway with a walk that stopped the room – confident, powerful, and straight out of the OG supermodel playbook. Think Naomi Campbell levels of presence: shoulders back, eyes locked, every step a statement. Without a doubt, the best strut of NZFW 2025.
The Hair Sculptor
Hair Director – Sara Allsop
Sara Allsop worked with Shark Beauty to deliver some of the week’s most memorable hair moments backstage. From sleek finishes to textural drama, her direction set the tone for how hair could be both editorial and wearable, leaving an imprint across multiple shows.
The Image Maker
Makeup Director – Kiekie Stanners
Kiekie Stanners stepped into her role as the official Beauty Director of NZFW, bringing cohesion and creativity to the week’s makeup looks. With her signature precision and painterly approach, she championed individuality while ensuring each designer’s vision was amplified through beauty.
The Synergist
As New Zealand’s most successful fashion designer, Karen Walker’s prompt and energetic commitment to NZFW 2025 was without a doubt one of the most effective signals to the industry that this year’s event would be worth paying attention to. Karen’s willingness to buy into the event’s new diverse format quickly showed other brands that elasticity was the name of the game, which resulted in a unique array of small and large on-site and offsite events that created chatter and excitement amongst both industry and customers.
Backstage (Execution & Flow)
The Orchestrator
Operations Director – Hannah Lyle
Hannah was a key member of New Zealand Fashion Week’s senior leadership group for many months prior to its August 25th opening night. Bringing years of experience overseeing major events in New Zealand, Hannah brought shed 10 to life for six days overseeing the build and aesthetics of this iconic Auckland Waterfront venue.
The Audience (Guest & Media Experience)
The Conductor
Having conducted front of house duties at New Zealand Fashion Week for a good part of the last 10 years, Murray was again the face of the front row at this year’s event, ably assisted by Charlotte Danielson. It’s no mean feat to cater to the whims of several thousand people who all wish to be in the front row but Murray and Charlotte managed to seat every guest with little fuss, helped by an army of runway ushers and, most importantly, helped fashion week’s many catwalk events start promptly.
The Gatekeeper
Sarah Meehan – Typically a nurse by trade with a real adult science degree, not to mention being the busy mother of two children, Sarah became the glue that stuck fashion week’s growing team together. Called upon to initiate the build and execution of fashion week’s entire ticketing platform, Sarah rose to the occasion bringing approximately zero ego to the table and ensuring every member of staff was well taken care of with invoices processed on time and Band-Aids administered promptly where necessary.
The Narrator
Now in her second New Zealand Fashion Week, Avery became the smiling face of up-to-the-minute images, interviews and information to New Zealand’s media during NZFW. Trained at Pead PR but now working as an account manager for Showroom 22, Avery quickly became a vital cog in New Zealand Fashion Week’s communications hub, bringing zest and vigour to each and every conversation, laced with pinpoint organisation. Avery is yet to realise her dream story of ‘Fashion Week By The Numbers’ but we hear she will die trying to get that across the line.
The Story Tellers
Both Emma and Zoe have been champions of New Zealand fashion and fashion journalism for close to two decades each. Emma rose to fame in the mid 2000s when she started her bedroom blog Rag Pony out of her home in Auckland’s Eastern Beach and has continued to dive head first into celebrating key New Zealand fashion milestones ever since. Both women’s journeys intersected at Viva magazine where Zoe was a senior writer for nine years and Emma recently left to step into her own independent venture, Crust. Zoe’s career began as the junior writer for iconic New Zealand digital platform Runway Reporter, published and owned by Stacy Gregg, but it’s her work as co-founder of Ensemble magazine that has catapulted her further into a sparsely-populated blue ocean or fashion journalists in New Zealand where she is clearly swimming with the leading pack. Both Emma and Zoe produced insightful and well researched pieces before, during and after fashion week that helped the New Zealand public to understand the event’s importance and celebrate its many stand out artists.
The Lens
Photographer – Hope Patterson
Hope Patterson proved herself as one to watch in the local photography landscape, capturing the energy of NZFW from the wings. Her sharp eye backstage translated into images that felt both intimate and iconic, documenting the week in a way that was as stylish as it was essential.
The Amplifier
Content Creator – Troi Atkins
Troi Atkins was impossible to miss, front row at nearly every show. Serving multiple looks a day, delivering daily wrap-ups, fit checks, and capturing live show content for FashioNZ, she set the pace for how Fashion Week is consumed online – fast, fun, and always on-trend.
Wildcard (The Fun Stuff)
The Shoe Moment – Best Shoes Spotted
Zambesi delivered one of the most talked-about footwear moments of the week: socks paired with Roman sandals. A look that balanced irreverence with cult-cool.
The Sparkle – Best Jewellery Look
All eyes were on the silver padlock collar from Stolen Girlfriends Club, worn by one of the Great Hounds dog models.
The Beauty Drop – Best Backstage Product
The Tranquillity Water Activating Mist by Raaie emerged as the backstage hero. Led by Head Makeup Artist Josie Wignall, the beauty direction for Juliette Hogan’s show – aptly named Radiance Refined – leaned heavily on the mist’s volcanic thermal water and botanicals. Models’ skin appeared drenched in hydration, luminous yet effortless, epitomising that elusive “lit-from-within” glow.
The Playlist Addict – Song That Defined The Week
Geneva AM’s “Pikipiki” became the unofficial anthem of NZFW 2025 after it closed out the Into the Archives show. The track’s energy and rhythm echoed through the crowd, leaving everyone buzzing as they applauded a great start to the week.
The Cameo – Best Celebrity Appearance
Taika Waititi made the fashion moment no one saw coming, walking in the Into the Archives show. The Oscar-winning director’s cameo blurred the boundaries between Hollywood and high fashion, proving NZFW still has the power to shock and delight.
The Best Gift – Goodie Bag Hero Item
Claudia Li’s goodie bag was a masterclass in generosity, but the hero item was undeniably the TimTams – quickly becoming the snack that defined post-show decompression.
The Midnight Oil – Best Afterparty Moment
The Zambesi afterparty doubled as a headline-making announcement: the brand revealed plans for its new flagship store at Commercial Bay. Equal parts celebration and strategy.
The Cheers – Best Drink of The Week
The coconut margarita in the Giltrap Group VIP lounge was the drink on everyone’s lips – literally. Creamy and refreshing with the perfect bite – suddenly the fashion and the chatter felt sharper.
Images: Radlab, Instagram
